My first post on Wine Spectator, still learning much. I did do a search but didn't find enough info or did not look in the right place.

Curious if there is a good Northern Rhone Value to experience old world Syrah? Have not tasted any so far. By value I mean something under $30 dollars. I imagine St. Joseph or Crozes-Hermitage, but looking for producers you think are great values.

And my single favorite QPR wine, is a Vin de Table N Rhone by Auguste Clape named Le Vin des Amis. It's very low production, and it sells out quickly, but it can be had around $27 per bottle. I have a hard time finding a wine I like as much as this one, and there's nothing that touches it at the price point.

Another recent find that rocks pretty damn hard is the Cotes de Rhone-Brezeme by Eric Texier. A wine that I find really, really, hard to beat for the price (~$20). I don't understand clearly why it's called a "Cotes du Rhone Brezeme", because Brezeme is considered Northern Rhone. Maybe someone who knows what the heck they're talking about can chime in.

Pierre Gonon's Saint-Joseph is another great wine at a reasonable price point.

For the most part, there are solid values to be had in Gigondas, Saint-Joseph, and Crozes-Hermitage.

Originally posted by lizardking:Good question! I love Syrah but most of what I drink is from California or Washington. And nearly all the rhones I drink are from the south, which are mostly Grenache based blends.

Can someone chime in on the drinking window for these "value" n.rhones? Average?

Funny, on the way to work today I was having a conversation with myself about drinking windows on newer wines. I've only had pretty recent vintages of the wines I suggested, and I find that they drink very nicely in their youth. Will they improve with age? Maybe. But why wait? They're fantastic now. I mean, I'll leave 2 or 3 tucked away, for science, but I drink them up guilt-free now.

I really love these at 5-8 years post vintage. If younger: I almost never love them right out of the bottle at release, and I routinely dump into a decanter in the morning, drink in the evening, which really knocks off the rough edges.